Brace for chairs



(No Model.)

J. s. VIRTUE. BEACH FOR CHAIRS.

Patented Sept. 2, 1890.

James Tirtue UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES S. VIR'IUE, OF LEADVILLE, COLORADO.

BRACE FOR CHAIRS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 435,531, dated September 2, 1890.

Application filed April 14, 1890. Serial No. 347,876. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES S. VIRTUE, a cit-izen of the United States, residing at Leadville, in the county of Lake and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Brace for Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to chairs, and more particularly to a brace between the seat and one of the rungs thereof; and the object of the invention is to provide means for adj ustably and detachably connecting said seat with the rungs and hence with the legs of the chair. This object I accomplish by my invention, which consists, essentially, of a Z shaped body, one end of which is screwed to the under side of the seat, a rod, one end hooked around one of the chair-rungs and the other and passed through a hole in the lower end of the body,'and a nut screwed on the upper end of said rod, all as hereinafter more fully described, and as illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a chair with my improvement attached thereto, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective of the brace detached from the chair.

Referring to the said drawings, the letter O designates the chair, which may be of any ordinary construction, provided it has rungs R, as shown. In the present instance I have illustrated an ordinary kitchen-chair with a wooden seat, although it will be understood this invention is applicable to chairs of other constructionsas, for instance, those with upholstered seats.

B is the body of the brace, which is of ap-' proximate Z shape, its upper and lower outwardly-bent ends E havingholes H, as shown. Through the hole in the upper end a screw S is passed into the bottom of the chair-seat or into the wood-work surrounding such seat if the latter be upholstered. By this screw the body B is detachably connected to the seat from which it projects downwardly, as shown.

D is a rod havinga hook K at its lower end adapted to embrace one of the rungs of the chair and provided with threads T at its up per end. The said upper end is passed through the hole H in the lower outwardly-bent end of the body B and the nut N passed onto the threaded upper end of said rod.

The hook K being engaged with one of the rungs, as shown, when the nut N is turned home, it will be at once apparent that the chair-seat will be adj ustably and detachably connected with the rung which is engaged with the hook K. As this rung is connected with the legsL of the chair and with the other rungs, all such parts will be firmly yet detachably connected with the seat, and the use of fastening devices or glue for securing the upper ends of the legs in the seat is thus avoided. It will be obvious that when the parts shrink, as in warm or dry weather, the nut N maybe turned farther onto thethreads T, and thereby tighten the seat upon the legs. It will be also obvious that whenever'it is desired to disconnect the seat from the legs a simple removal of the nut N permits it.

This improved chair brace is preferably made of metal and maybe nickeled,bronzed, enameled, or painted, and it adds to the beauty of the chair to which it is applied rather than detracting therefrom. It may be made in large quantities and sold as an article of manufacture, as it is capable of application to almost all the chairs of this general character now on the market. The length of the rod D and of the threads T will of course depend upon the amount of adjustment desired in the device, not only after it is applied, but in fitting it to chairs having but one rung, all as will be clearly understood bya person skilled in the art.

I claim as the salient features of this invention 1. As anew article of manufacture,abrace for connecting the seats of chairs with the rungs thereof, the same comprising a body screwed to the seat, a hook detachably embracing one of therungs, and means, substantially as described, for adj ustably connecting the meeting ends of said body and hook, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The body B,having its ends E turned at right angles and provided with holes H, and a screw S, adapted to pass through one of said holes into a chair-seat, in combination with the rod D, having a hook K at its lower end adapted to engage one of the rungs, and its upper end passing through the hole in the lower end Eof saidbody, and means, substantially as described, for adjustably connecting ICO the meeting ends of said body and rod, as and for the purpose set forth.

-3. The body B,l1aving its ends E turned at right angles and provided with holes H, and a screw S, adapted to pass through one of said holes into a chair-seat, in combination with the rod D, having a hook K at its lower end adapted to engage one of the rungs, and at its upper end passing through the hole in IQ the lower end E of said body and being provided with screw-threads T, and a nut N, engaging said threaded end above the lower end of the body, as and for the purpose set forth.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in x 5 presence of two witnesses.

J AS. S. VIRTUE. Witnesses:

PAUL G. ME ZLER, J. A. MILNER. 

